Final Conflict
by GammaRay256
Summary: Corneria is about to challenge the newly restored Venom, but Fox questions their motives. With memories of Krystal and the disbanded Star Fox team haunting his thoughts, Fox must confront his past or the Lylat System will fall.
1. A New Threat

Chapter 1 – A New Threat

"Bill, I don't know what to do! I screwed up and there's no going back!"

"Fox, why did you force it to end up that way?"

"I just thought, maybe, it would be best for the team if..."

"Best for the team? Or for yourself?"

"I know, I know, I let my personal fears interfere with my duty!"

"But why can't you move on now? You're still letting them interfere!"

"She meant so much to me, Bill! What would I have done if something had happened to her? The thought of it still haunts me." Fox took another sip of water, he could feel the cold breeze blowing through an open door in the Katina military base. It was still a few minutes before dawn, and the fluorescent lights still flickered in the darkness.

"After that, it all went downhill for me... First, Falco left out of pure boredom; then Slippy had to leave for Aquas. But Peppy was still there, he tried to help me through those hard times. It was short-lived though, because after General Pepper fell ill, he requested that Peppy take his place. I was left with ROB, and robots don't talk much."

Fox was about to speak, but he was stopped by a sudden cold flash. As he shivered, he thought about Krystal, her Arwing surrounded by enemies. His own shield gauge was dangerously low, if he tried to make any attempt to save her, they would surely take him down too. Then, all would be lost; they would decimate everything that was important to him.

"What's wrong, Fox?"

"I saw it again."

"Come on, Fox, you need to get outside. Let's take a walk around the base."

Fox and Bill picked up their coats and walked outside. The exterior of the base was particularly empty since it was still cold and early. A slight breeze blew autumn leaves across the pathway. The trees began to create the first crepuscular light from the rising sun. The calm and cool outdoor environment seemed to lighten Fox's mood.

As they turned a corner, they noticed a news ticker hovering near the walkway. It displayed videos and images of a distant planet.

"Wow, Dash has certainly cleaned up Venom!"

"Yeah, they've been showing those pictures here on the base for some time now. It's amazing what he has done."

"That new terraforming technology he discovered has done its job well. In just a few years, he's converted a desolate wasteland into a very hospitable place."

Fox and Bill continued walking for a few minutes; by this time, the sun had risen above the trees and began to fill one of the larger, glass-walled conference halls with its golden morning glow. As they walked closer, they noticed that hundreds of the soldiers were gathered around tables inside, they were listening to some sort of radio broadcast. Fox and Bill entered the hall and walked over to one of them.

"What's going on here?" Fox asked one of the soldiers.

"Ssshhh! Dash is about to give a speech!" The irritated soldier replied.

Fox and Bill sat down at a table and listened:

_Good morning citizens of Venom! Today marks a perfect example of the new era in Venom's history, the time when Venom will prove that it is rightfully the first planet of the Lylat System. Our environment is unprecedented: our oceans are clearer than Aquas, our forests healthier than Sauria, and our cities rival even Corneria in modern architecture._

_Venom has only once made an impact this great. My grandfather, Andross, nearly succeeded in becoming ruler of the Lylat System years ago. But those days are past! The remains of Andross' hatred are nearly eradicated; we can finally look ahead to a brighter future!_

_With Venom restored to a point unseen since the ancient inhabitants first looked upon it, we will make a great impact on the Lylat System!_

Tense conversations broke out all over the hall. The soldiers seemed quite disturbed at Dash's assertions. On the audio link, Fox and Bill could hear the inhabitants of Venom applauding their leader:

_With these newly extended opportunities, our researchers have begun to investigate the ancient properties of this planet. We've been studying the few remaining writings in Venom's jungle temples. Unfortunately, Andross destroyed most of the Ancient's documented history._

_So far, we've been able to conclude that Venom has an internal energy force that has been dormant for some time now. It has recently begun to cycle again for unverified reasons; although we do believe it may have some connection with the terraforming._

_The extent of this energy's power is unknown, and it's purpose is not well understood. So far, it appears that Venom's energy is similar to that of Sauria, they may even..._

The transmission was halted. A new voice spoke, it was Pepper, the former Cornerian Army General:

_Citizens of Lylat, the Cornerian Council has not approved Dash's activity on Venom and it will remain a quarantine planet!_

All the soldiers in the base gave a sigh of relief at Pepper's statement. Fox and Bill were the only exceptions. The sun was now higher in the sky, and a warmer breeze blew through the open door of the hall.

_We are now making preparations for a pre-emptive strike against Venom. We are requesting that any planet with capable forces register for the military rendezvous on planet Macbeth. From there, we will plan and launch a final counter-offensive on Venom. Details will be sent shortly to all Cornerian outposts. General Pepper out._

The soldiers in the base began walking around, talking about the plan. They remained very confident in Pepper's words. Fox and Bill, however, remained seated with a skeptical look on their faces.

Through the crowds, one of the base's young messengers approached Fox and tugged on his jacket:

"Star Fox, sir, you have an urgent message in meeting room twenty-four."

"Er, OK, thank you..." Fox replied as the messenger ran off. "Bill, you should come with me."

"Well, I'm not sticking around this crowd!"

Fox and Bill stood up and began to maneuver their way to the meeting room.

"Why is Corneria so against Dash? He restored an uninhabitable planet. Pepper acts as if Dash were Andross himself!"

"Well, I suppose that anyone who might approach Corneria's scientific, military, or even political standings might appear to be a threat."

"But why now? They've known about Dash's operations for months..."

"I don't know, maybe they've finally had enough of his optimistic talk."

"And what happened to Peppy? Am I the only one who remembers that he is general, not Pepper?"

Fox and Bill reached meeting room #24. It was a glass, sound-isolating chamber next to the main hallway. Since the hallway's walls were glass as well, the room was full of natural sunlight. By this point, the hallway had become quite hot and humid from all the activity. Fox and Bill felt a sense of relief walking into a quiet, air-conditioned room.

A hologram of Pepper sat at the end of the elliptical table, he stood up to greet them.

"Ah, Fox McCloud, good to see you here. It's been awhile since we've talked, how have you been getting along these days?"

"Not too well sir, I've been feeling very alone since my team left."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Fox, is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, sir, this is exactly what I need, something to take my mind off of them."

"I'm glad to hear that, Fox. Now, on to business. Lylat forces are assembling as we speak for the Macbeth rendezvous. In spite of all the commotion, the Cornerian Council has prepared a special mission for you. If you choose to accept it, you will fly a reconnaissance mission around Venom investigating Dash's military forces and scanning the terrain. The data will aid us in planing the invasion. I know we haven't asked you to do much spying in the past, but we feel that you are the most capable candidate for the job."

"I'm sorry to ask, sir, but why is Corneria so anxious to attack Venom?"

"Well, Fox, you should know as well as I do that there are too many factors pointing to evil. Dash is the grandson of Andross, the antagonist of the Lylat System. And Venom was uninhabitable for hundreds of years, even before Andross, and has never been helpful to the Lylat System, no matter what Dash tries to throw into our minds. We cannot risk another full scale war."

"I understand your concerns, sir, but Dash has only been trying to help a dying planet. His terraforming technology has proven to be successful in restoring the planet. Andross fed his hatred into Venom, but Dash has truly done the opposite. I don't see any logical reason to hinder his progress now!"

"Andross also experimented with terraforming alongside his dangerous bio-tech research. It looked good, at first; but after a thorough investigation, we made the decision to banish him to Venom, and we forbid his research through system-wide law. We were right to do so, but we didn't act quick enough; look what became of his 'experiments'. Dash may look like he's accomplishing good now, but so did Andross in the beginning. We cannot risk Dash continuing Andross' research!"

"I still don't agree, sir."

"We can't risk it. We have partners in other larger star systems that rely on our economic stability. What do you think they might do to us if they lose their investments because we failed to protect our own interests?"

"What do you mean by 'us'? The innocent civilians of the Lylat System? Or the Cornerian Government?"

"Fox! Why are you acting like this? The Lylat System's future is at stake here, and it all depends the success of this invasion... I can assure you, that your reward will be quite worth your effort..."

"Honestly, it's not the money that concerns me this time, but... anyway, I must ask, what happened to General Peppy?"

"Peppy resigned stating that he 'no longer wanted the job'. My recovery has been slow, but I've been able to resume my role as general."

"Quitting? Peppy? That doesn't sound like him..."

"Fox, sometimes, we change our minds at the last minute. Anyway, I have to leave shortly... do you accept the mission?"

Fox thought for a moment. He looked at General Pepper and replied: "Alright, sir, count me in."

"Glad to hear we're back on the same page, Fox. Meet us at the Macbeth Conference in 72 hours. Details will be sent to your command ship shortly. Contact us if you need anything else. General Pepper out." The hologram faded away.

Fox and Bill left the calm and quiet meeting room and entered a hallway of commotion. The soldiers were running back and forth down the halls moving supplies in preparation for the massive launch.

"Fox! Why did you do that? You were against the invasion the whole time!"

"Don't worry, Bill, we've got an important stop to make before we even consider heading to Macbeth."


	2. Traveling to Corneria

Despite the chaos in the Katina base, Fox and Bill managed to reach their fighters parked in the hanger bay. They took off and flew towards Fox's command ship. Fox contacted ROB over the radio:

"ROB, prepare for hyperspace departure to Corneria."

"Affirmative" the robot voice confirmed.

"So, Fox, why are we heading to Corneria?" Bill asked.

"I've got to find out what happened to Peppy. When we get back to the ship, we'll try contacting Lucy on Fichina. Maybe she will know something about his whereabouts."

"Why not contact Peppy directly?"

"We could, but for his own safety, I think we'd better try finding him in person first."

"Ah, I think I see where you're going with this, Fox."

Fox and Bill boarded the orbiting command ship. It was a small ship, about a third the size of the Great Fox. After the Aparoid conflict, the team decided to rebuild the Great Fox in honor of Peppy's courageous sacrifice of the first Great Fox. The team, however, began to fall apart shortly afterwards and the project was, for the most part, forgotten.

As they reached the bridge, ROB was finishing the final steps of the hyperspace checkout process. Fox walked over the the communications panel and adjusted the radios in attempt to contact Lucy on Fichina. Lucy responded:

"Hey, Fox, it's been awhile. What's up?"

"Hi Lucy, I don't have much time to talk, we're about to enter hyperspace, but I have a few questions for you. Did you hear the news?"

"Yeah, I think it's terrible, but nobody else here thinks the way I do."

"We were in the same situation on Katina, it seems everyone is a bit too confident in General Pepper. Have you talked to your father?"

"Yes, I did, yesterday."

"What did he say?"

"That he had been forced into retirement by some Cornerian officials, but he couldn't say much more. As far as I could tell, he was at the Star Fox Headquarters on Corneria."

"Ah, good, we are heading there now to search for him. Thank you, Lucy, take care."

"Fox, wait! May I join your team?"

"Um, well, you can join us until we find your father. We'll see what we can do after that."

"OK, thank you, Fox. I'll meet you at the headquarters in Corneria."

"Will you be traveling through hyperspace? Or the gate?"

"Hyperspace, I can't stand the traffic at the public gate."

"You have a ship capable of hyperspace travel?"

"Yes, of course, I am an astrophysics teacher you know."

"Oh, yeah, I shouldn't have wondered. OK, Lucy, Bill and I will meet you on Corneria."

"OK, Fox, I should arrive a few minutes after you do, so don't forget! See you soon, bye!"

Fox shut off the communications panel. Bill and ROB were ready to make the jump into hyperspace. The countdown began.

The ship entered hyperspace ten seconds later; the stars began to fly by in brilliant rays of light. The ship, because of its cheap quality, shook and rattled as as it passed through space.

"ROB, what's our ETA?"

"Approximately 17 minutes."

-

The ship exited hyperspace about fifteen minutes later. ROB prepared to enter the atmosphere.

"We are approaching the Cornerian capital city." ROB announced on the intercom.

"Ah, excellent." Fox replied.

A few minutes later, ROB landed outside the Star Fox Headquarters, which was little more than a private airport with a command building and hanger. It was built by order of General Pepper after the Lylat Wars, in memory of Fox's father, James McCloud, leader of the first Star Fox squadron.

Fox and Bill exited the command ship and walked towards the main building. As they approached, however, they noticed that several of the windows had been broken and the door was knocked out.

"What happened here!" Fox exclaimed.

"Looks like some looters have taken advantage of all the chaos."

"It looks deserted now, I doubt Peppy's inside. Normally, I'd be filing an angry report with security, but I don't think it would do any good at this point. I think our best option is to head to the Capitol."

"OK, Fox, whatever you say, let's grab some jet bikes and go."

The two made a quick interior check to make sure nobody was around, then they walked to the hanger, started two jet bikes, and left for the Capitol.

-

-

----------

Notes:

Looks like Fox and Bill forgot to meet Lucy...


	3. Corneria City

As they turned onto the highway, Fox and Bill found themselves stuck in heavy traffic.

"Have you ever thought how ridiculous this traffic is when we have flying transport?"

"Obviously, the transportation system in the city is not the Council's first priority. We should have taken one of the side roads." Bill replied.

Fox and Bill reached the Capitol about twenty minutes later. The chaos resembled the Katina base, as it looked like hundreds of civilians were signing up as volunteers for the Cornerian Army at last minute.

The Capitol was a tall skyscraper with glass windows. It stood about 100 stories high, and was located near the center of Corneria City. Fox and Bill walked inside and approached the greeting counter. Fox was about to speak to the receptionist, but he and Bill were stopped by General Pepper.

"Fox, I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Um, hello, sir, we... uh... decided to make a trip to Corneria to pick up some supplies for the voyage to Macbeth." Fox said nervously; he hadn't anticipated meeting General Pepper.

"Good thinking, Fox! I knew you were the right one for this job, you have such excellent judgement."

"Well, er, thank you, sir. I must ask, though, who is everyone here?"

"Isn't it great, Fox? Everyone is volunteering! I've been listening to their conversations, they're calling it 'the last war' and 'the war to end all conflict', everyone wants to be a part of it!"

"They've never acted like that, even during the Lylat Wars, why is it so different now?" Bill asked.

"Everyone is glad to hear that we're not going to let Venom advance this time."

"Sir, do you have any idea where Peppy is?" Fox asked.

"Well, it's not our place to keep track of him since he quit. You can try checking his old office on the top floor, though."

"Alright, thank you for the information, sir. I still can't understand why he would quit so suddenly though."

"Fox, sometimes a major experience, like being general, changes one's life and personality. You've changed yourself... but you're still the same Fox that saves the Lylat System from evil on a regular basis!" Pepper laughed.

"OK, sir, we're going to take a look at Peppy's office, then we'll meet you at the Macbeth conference."

"Good plan, Fox. Would you like to give a speech at the opening ceremony? I can schedule you in pretty easily..."

"Thanks for the offer, sir, but I don't know what I would say..."

"Very well, Fox, I appreciate what you're doing for us. I'll make sure you get your own chapter in the books someday."

"Heh, thanks." Fox laughed.

"OK, Fox, take care!"

"You too, sir."

General Pepper walked away; Bill and Fox walked to the elevator.

"Pepper sure thinks highly of you, Fox."

"Yes, I know..." Fox paused, he sounded troubled.

The elevator reached the top level. Bill and Fox walked to Peppy's office and opened the unlocked door. As they walked inside, they noticed that the room looked very clean and well kept. The only abnormal aspect was a small hole in the main window.

"What's that?"

"It looks like a bird flew through the window." Fox replied.

"But there's no glass... Hey, Fox, Peppy's communicator is on the desk..."

Fox picked up the device and began to read the message on screen; after a few seconds, he called out:

"Peppy! We've got to get to the detainment cells on the East side of the city!"

"But, Fox, wait! What does it say?" Bill asked, but Fox was already out the door and running down the hall to the elevator.

-

-

----------

Notes:

Don't worry, we will be seeing some action in the next chapter.


	4. Finding Peppy

As they traveled to the East side of Corneria City, Fox's communicator rang. He couldn't look at the ID while piloting, so he simply answered:

"Hello?"

"Fox! Where are you?! We were supposed to meet me at the Star Fox Headquarters!"

"Oh, uh, sorry, Lucy... We got sidetracked."

"Sidetracked eh? Whatever... where are you now?"

"On our way to the detainment cells on the East side of the city. Get a jet bike out of the hanger, take a back road, and meet us there."

"Oh, so you're actually going to be there this time?"

"I don't have time for this, just meet us there! OK?" Fox answered in a slightly angered tone.

"OK, Fox."

Fox closed his communicator, he and Bill could see the detainment complex ahead. They slowed to a stop and jumped off their bikes. The area looked deserted, several weeds were growing over the sidewalk and the metal parts of the doors were rusted.

Lucy arrived about five minutes later. Fox and Bill were taking turns trying to break the main door open.

"So, Lucy, how did you get here through all the traffic?" Bill asked casually.

Lucy ignored Bill's question and looked towards Fox: "So, Fox, why are we here?"

"I think Peppy is inside." He replied.

"Dad? Why?"

"I saw a note he left us on his communicator back in his office at the Capitol."

"OK, enough messing around with the door! Step aside!" Lucy yelled out as she pulled out a blaster and started shooting the lock on the door.

"LUCY! What do you think you're doing?! You're going to get us all killed!" Fox shouted.

Lucy kicked the door open. "Well, you guys probably wouldn't have made it in there by picking that rusty old lock."

The three entered the building. The inside looked just as bad as the outside, there was dirt on the floor and cracks in the ceiling; the bars on the jail cell doors were old and rusted.

"Peppy?" Fox called out.

"Fox! Over here!" A voice shouted in the distance. Fox, Bill, and Lucy ran towards the source. They found Peppy locked in an old cell.

"Am I glad to see you guys!" Peppy responded.

"We're glad to see you too, dad! Now, how do we get _this_ lock open?"

Despite the fact that the jail itself was old, the lock was a new steel, key-activated lock.

"Peppy, how did you get in here?" Bill asked.

"I can't tell you here... Fox, do you have your command ship? We can discuss it as we LEAVE Corneria."

"Yes, it's back at the Star Fox Headquarters." As Fox finished his sentence, Peppy's eyes opened wide as he looked straight at Fox:

"Fox, we need to get out of here NOW. The Headquarters are NOT safe!"

Bill picked up a medium-sized stone lying on the ground and heaved it at the lock on the cell door. The lock assembly was unaffected, but the old iron bars shattered as the rock broke through them.

"Um, OK, that was easy... Let's go!" Lucy motioned to the others as she ran towards the exit.

Peppy rode on the backseat of Fox's jet bike. For Peppy's safety, they took several side alleys and old roads around the city to get back to the Headquarters. They piloted the bikes near the entrance to the command ship.

"Quick! Let's get going! It's not safe here!" Peppy said as he walked up the ramp of the command ship. The others followed, but were quickly distracted by an open knife that flew past Fox's head and struck the interior wall of the ship.

In one swift motion, Fox, Bill, and Lucy turned, drew their blasters, and began firing at a team of gangsters that appeared around the corner of the hanger. The gangster's that were close enough continued to throw knives at the team.

"Peppy! Who are these guys?" Fox yelled.

"They're from Venom!"

"So Dash is trying to take over Corneria after all?"

"Not exactly..."

"Shut up and grab a blaster old man!" Bill screamed at Peppy, who quickly grabbed a spare blaster from inside the ship and joined the others in the firefight.

"Bill, you get the ones advancing on the right; Lucy and I will take the closer ones on the left... Peppy, you..."

"Bill! They're advancing!" Lucy cried out.

"Get down!" Bill yelled as he hurled a flashbang grenade at the main group of gangsters. This slowed their advancement.

"Fox, we've got to get out of here. There's too many of them!" Bill shouted to Fox. Peppy radioed to ROB requesting that he close the door. The ramp began to rise and retract.

"ROB, just get us off the ground! Forgot the safety protocols on the door!" Peppy shouted over the intercom. The ship quickly levitated off the ground, the door was about half closed. Some of the gangsters had tried to jump onto the levitating platform, but none of them succeeded.

"ROB! Set a course for Sector Y. Travel outside Cornerian command space, and proceed for hyperspace travel." Fox requested.

"Affirmative, ETA to Sector Y, 94 minutes."

The team walked up to the bridge and sat down at the table.

"OK, dad, we're waiting..."

"Alright," Peppy sighed as he began his story.


	5. Peppy's Story

"_It all started like any other day... I was in my office, preparing for the weekly Council meeting..."_

_-  
_

"General Peppy, sir, I have today's agenda printed for you to review."

"Ah, thank you, colonel." The officer handed Peppy a typed sheet of paper and left the room.

Peppy pulled out his reading glasses from a desk drawer.

The agenda looked very minimal, most of it was filled with standard procedure. There seemed to be only one main topic for discussion:

Discuss Omega Proposition

Peppy looked skeptically at the line. He set the agenda down, opened a filing cabinet, searched through several archived folders, and pulled out a long legal document. He began to read it in order to ensure it was the correct paper:

-

_- Omega Inc. to Cornerian Council -_

_ABSTRACT_

_Proposition to the Cornerian Council and Lylat System regarding experimentation of quantum prediction theory._

_Omega Inc. has recently discovered a method of using quantum technology to predict impending events. _

_In return for testing the research in a live environment, Omega Inc. is willing to provide necessary compensation..._

-

Peppy stopped reading, sealed the document and the agenda into a folder, and walked down the hall to the meeting room.

To his surprise, all the council members were in place, including one additional member, former air force general, Pepper. They were ready to begin the meeting.

Although a standard protocol was established, Peppy hated being orthodox, so he casually began the meeting:

"Good morning, everyone. I'm going to skip the first items in the agenda and bring your attention to topic #6. I would like an explanation of why it is still in the agenda after I denied the proposition for being 'too dangerous' last week."

One of the officials from the science department arose from his seat.

"General, we've been researching Omega Inc.'s proposition and we've uncovered some startling results..."

"Well that's swell, officer... but that still doesn't answer the question of WHY you were still looking into banned research?!" Peppy pointed at the official.

"We've been studying Andross' documentation on the subject and..."

"Andross' research is banned as well under penalty of treason! I command that no further investigation shall commence for this topic. This meeting is adjourned until a more relevant agenda can be produced!"

Peppy stormed out of the room.

-

"_After that meeting, I knew for sure that something was abnormal in the Council. There had been some slightly strange activity in the past, but that meeting confirmed my suspicions. Everything collapsed at the next week's meeting..."_

_-  
_

Peppy walked to the meeting room, hoping that the Council had revised its priorities. He hadn't received an agenda for this week, so he was a bit nervous as to what he might encounter.

To Peppy's disappointment, the Council was, once again, preoccupied with the Omega Proposition. He stood still for a moment as his eye twitched.

Before saying anything else to the council, Peppy motioned for the former general, Pepper, to stand.

"Pepper, I did not have a chance to formally greet you at the last meeting. It is good to see that you are here, but why?"

"Thank you, Peppy. I am here because I have recovered enough to resume my involvement in the Council."

"I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that you are recovering. Now, before..." Peppy was interrupted; the parliamentarian stood:

"Peppy Hare, you have been removed from the position of General by popular vote of the Council. Pepper will now resume his position as General."

Peppy scanned the room, everyone was quietly relaxed in their chairs, gazing at Peppy.

"You can't do this!" Peppy argued

"We already have..." replied the parliamentarian

"This is mutiny!"

The Council gave him a serious stare.

"Peppy, I'm sorry, I didn't want it to be like this..." Peppy could tell, by Pepper's facial expression, that he was telling the truth. The Council must have been planning this for weeks.

Peppy stood up, "I'm sorry too, General..." Peppy exited the meeting room and returned to his office, slamming the door behind him.

Peppy's mind was racing, It had all happened so quickly. One week, everything seemed to be, for the most part, going fine. Then, there was the Omega Proposition. Peppy wasn't disturbed as much about the proposition itself as he was about the fact that the Council forcefully removed him.

He paced around his office, frantically thinking about what to do. His thoughts were interrupted, though, because as he turned, he noticed something in the reflection on a glass panel. As his cape returned to its rest position behind his back, he noticed a small, blinking red light. He quickly ripped the device off his cape, pulled his blaster from its holster, and fired a hole in window. He tossed the device through the broken area, it made a large explosion before it reached the ground.

Peppy knew he didn't have much time before the officials came, an explosion that large would certainly attract attention. Remembering the emergency preparations for imminent capture that he had learned as a member of Star Fox, he pulled out his communicator and typed a three letter code.

Peppy heard the door of the office opening. He picked up a pen from the desk, set down the communicator, and turned to face the window. He calmed himself and folded his hands behind his back.

"Peppy Hare, by order of..." The guards were interrupted:

"Let me guess..." Peppy slowly turned around, "You've been ordered to take me into custody..."

"We have orders to take you to the east Corneria City detention cells."

"Fine... fine..."

Peppy slowly walked to his desk. While setting the pen down, he inconspicuously pressed the letter "E" on the communicator. The guards did not notice this action. He looked up, and slowly walked across the room. He submissively outstretched his hands in front of the guards.

"Alright, let's go."

The guards handcuffed Peppy, walked him to a transport, and transferred him to the old detainment cells. Even though it was strange behavior for formal guards to use retired detainment cells, Peppy did not say another word to them.

-

"_There I waited, hoping that you, Fox, would somehow receive that message on the communicator. Those four letter emergency codes we established in Star Fox finally payed off. It's amazing that, with only four letters, we can describe hundreds of thousands of situations..."_

_-_

_-  
_

"OK, Peppy," Fox began, "So this happened about three days before we heard the news about the invasion of Venom?"

"Correct"

"So you didn't hear anything about the invasion while you were still in the Council?"

"No, I think it must have been General Pepper's idea... it may be unrelated."

"Dad, why did you ban the research?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the research itself was not inherently bad, but the consequences if live test subjects were used could be catastrophic."

"What exactly did it involve?" Bill asked.

"Omega requested that we attempt to transport some individuals to a parallel universe. If it was successful, it could serve as a form of simulated time travel. I do not fully understand it, but I know that individuals could die in the experiment because the lab tests have shown that the theory works in machines, but not with biological organisms. It needs further safety research, but Omega was ready to test it on individuals right away. Perhaps the research would be acceptable under different circumstances, but I banned it because certain authorities were too eager to test it. Rushing into testing of dangerous concepts is exactly why Andross was banned."

"I just don't understand how this fits in with the pending invasion..." Fox replied.

"Peppy, who was attacking us as we were leaving Corneria?" Bill asked.

"Ah, yes, they are an extremist group from Venom; they're probably not under the control of Dash. We've dealt with them before, they cause chaos in Corneria occasionally. They claim to be protecting the 'ancient interests of Venom', although I think they're actually very self-centered."

"But why were they attacking us?"

"They probably think we're going help Corneria destroy Venom. We always have in the past."

"Did they have any relation to Andross?"

"No, in fact, I think they hated him for destroying most of the remains of Ancient Venom."

"Well, interesting story Peppy, what do you suggest we do now?"

"I need to stay away from Cornerian officials... I think you all need to attend the Macbeth Conference, but I'll need to stay behind at some point. How we're going to go about doing that... I'll leave that up to you, Fox."

"Well, if you say so, Peppy."

"We are approaching Sector Y..." ROB announced.

"OK, let's travel slowly through the wreckage, and once we're clear, travel to Aquas through hyperspace." Fox requested.

"Affirmative."

-

-

-

**Notes:**

Sorry it took awhile, I need to completely rewrite this chapter and make sure it would fit in with the rest of the storyline.

Now, I can finally revise and post the Sector Y chapter! (It's one of my favorites...)


	6. An Unexpected Encounter

The team looked outside, the sector was calm and dark. Wreckage from the Cornerian defeat during the Lylat Wars littered the area. Everyone was silent, as was the space outside. Their eyes wandered. Sometimes, they could see glimpses of moving debris.

It had been said that if ghosts exist, they would reside in these haunted sectors.

The silence was broken, an alarm sounded on the radar panel. A red light illuminated the control area.

Bill ran over to the panel and initiated the monitor.

"Fox! It appears that several hundred fighter class ships are approaching!"

"Are they friendly?"

"I don't think so!"

"OK, Bill you and me will take our fighters. Lucy, you watch the radar; Peppy, you handle the forward canons."

"Yes, sir, Fox!"

Fox and Bill rushed to the flight deck. In less than a minute, they were flying head on towards the enemy.

"Peppy, is there a traffic frequency in this sector?"

"Yes, I'm sending you the numbers now..."

Fox, Bill, and Peppy adjusted their radios.

"Sector Y traffic, Sierra Foxtrot remaining in pattern for departure to Aquas."

"Sector Y Command to Sierra Foxtrot: Negative, airspace is restricted, request for transition denied."

Fox thought for a moment, Sector Y was supposed to be open air space without a command center. Somebody was obviously conducting some sort of scam.

"Sector Y Command, Team Star Fox demanding immediate pass-through or we will use force!"

At this point, about 100 small fighters were in formation opposite of Fox and Bill's fighters. Fox and Bill stopped and faced them.

"Sierra Foxtrot, Y-Bolse defense sector does not recognize the label 'Star Fox'. Unless you have an official order from Corneria, you may not pass through this airspace."

Peppy interrupted the radio channel:

"Sector Y Command, General Peppy of the Cornerian Defense Sector requesting description of your operations."

"Cornerian Defense Sector? General Peppy? You are not in our records, access denied. Y-Bolse airspace is closed for classified satellite research."

Peppy contacted Fox on a private channel.

"Shoot them down. Y-Bolse underwent meltdown nearly half a century ago, they must be some sort of pirates."

"Yes sir." Fox replied as he returned to the open channel.

"Bill... split up, and take it to 'em!"

"Alright, let's do this, Fox; shields up!"

"Y-Bolse Defense Fighters, fire at will, I repeat, fire at will!"

A brilliant white flash ensued as the fighters fired yellow laser blasts at Fox and Bill.

The first wave of fire was easily deflected by the shields of Fox and Bill's fighters. The laser blasts were sent into all directions of space.

The enemy fighters broke formation, and attempted to create a circle of units around Fox and Bill.

The Arwing and the Cornerian Fighter easily outperformed the enemy fighters in combat. Their ships seemed clumsy, and lacked sufficient power for maneuvers.

Fox and Bill targeted two groups of ten enemy fighters.

Fox's laser canons were locked, the Arwing matched the flight pattern of the enemy. Fox proceeded to fire...

"Enough! All units: cease fire and halt!" Fox eased off the trigger, but was still locked onto the enemy.

"Who are you?"

"Fox McCloud of team Star Fox!"

"McCloud? Like... James McCloud?"

"You knew my father?"

"Yes, we've seen him here before."

"But, he was killed by Andross, just before the Lylat Wars!"

"Andross? What do you know about him?"

"I defeated Andross nearly 10 years ago, the victory marked the end of the Lylat Wars. He was defeated once again after the Saurian conflict a few years ago."

"Defeated? What are you talking about? Neither James McCloud nor Andross are dead."

"What? How? Where's my father? What happened?"

"I never said anything happened."

"But you just said James McCloud and Andross are still alive?!"

"Your father... no, I've said too much."

"What? Why? What's going on here? How do you know all of this?"

"It exists... all around us."

A soft white noise sounded on the radio. Suddenly, all the fighters faded away into the darkness. The sector returned to it's dark and tranquil state.

"No! He can't do that! He tells me all that, and leaves!" Fox slammed his fist on the dashboard of his Arwing.

"Fox, I need you to come back to the ship." Peppy sighed, his voice was remorseful.

Fox's anger was halted momentarily by an incoming radio transmission. A familiarly unwelcome voice echoed through the silence of the Arwing:

"Well, well, Foxie... you finally learned the truth about your father..."

-

-

-

----------

Notes:

Looks like Fox has an unwelcome guest. This is one of my favorite chapters so far, only second to the next chapter.

**If you think the ending of this chapter is too confusing, let me know, I wasn't sure if I should reveal who it is in this chapter, or at the beginning of the next...**

By the way, don't think the story is ending too quickly... It's not even 1/4 over.

I'm still trying to work on being more descriptive. I tried describing the setting a little more, but I know I still lack in certain areas. There could probably be a little bit more information during the short dogfight, describing the maneuvers of the fighters and the emotions of the characters.


	7. A Surprising Twist

"Truth? Wolf? How... Where did you come from?"

"Eh, I've been listening the whole time."

"I hate you." Fox couldn't take it anymore, with waves of emotion, he opened the throttle and entered into a fast-paced battle against his old-time rival, Wolf.

"Well, Fox, looks like you will never know what happened. You're going to join the ghost fleet!"

"Not on my watch, Wolf!"

"Stop! All of you!" Lucy demanded as she tried to break up the fight. "You're no good to the Lylat System dead... neither of you."

"But, but, but..." Fox stuttered.

"Shut up Fox! The rabbit's right. Let's get back to your sorry-excuse-for-a-command-ship and talk to your buddy Peppy about this."

"Argh... FINE! Whatever! I don't care anymore!"

Lucy, Bill, and Wolf entered the Great Fox and sat down at the table. Fox entered, but refused to sit. Peppy took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fox, you know the story of how Pigma betrayed your father and me, right?"

"Of course I do Peppy! What's going on here!"

"Well, after we were captured by Andross, we learned of his upcoming plans to take over the Lylat System."

"I never would have guessed... what's your point?"

"Your father, well, he knew that you were a capable pilot, and that you would risk your life looking for him if you knew he might be alive. So he decided that, if I was the only one to make it out of Venom in time, I would tell you... that he died..."

"But, Peppy, I... I've lived all these years accepting the fact that my father is dead. And, now, I finally learn that I might have been able to save him the whole time! What are you trying to tell me?"

"Fox, it would have been suicide to head straight for Venom!"

"Well it's better than living a lie!" Fox shouted.

"Calm down pup, the story doesn't end there." Wolf growled.

"Oh, well how much worse could it get!"

"Oh, it does..." Wolf chuckled, "...this is where I come in". "You know that girl you dumped... Krystal..."

"Shut up Wolf! I didn't 'dump' her! It was for her own safe...ty..."

"So, you break her heart and then tell her to leave... what do you call that? Huh?"

"OK, Wolf, I'm sorry for interrupting..." Fox sat down, he looked quite depressed.

"Fox, do you see why your father and I were trying to protect you now?" Peppy calmly said to Fox.

"Yeah, now I do."

"Anyway," Wolf continued, "after you dumped Krystal, she came to us in tears. She told us her story and asked if she could join our team. I was against it, but Panther couldn't resist. Krystal actually turned out to be a good team member, she helped us win some battles we probably would have retreated from had we been on our own. However, yesterday, Krystal, Panther, Leon, and I were raiding an abandoned space station near Zoness when we picked up the broadcasting network from the planet; we heard Dash's speech. It didn't concern us, so Panther, Leon, and I didn't care much; Krystal, on the other hand, was horrified for some reason and quit Star Wolf on the spot. We haven't seen her since, but the last transmission she made to us before entering hyperspace was that she was going to planet... uh... oh, I don't remember."

"What planet?" Fox said anxiously.

"I don't know, I didn't care! Don't ask me again!"

"...Sauria!" Fox exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's it, now please shut up." Wolf growled angrily.

"Sorry..."

"Now, after Krystal left, the team and I decided to try and contact Corneria. We were hoping we might gain some ground over this crisis, ya know, maybe get our bounties lifted."

"To our surprise, General Pepper answered our call. He said they needed all the help they could get for this invasion on Venom. He told us their plans. After hearing those... plans, I must say, Star Wolf is pretty cruel sometimes, but even we hated the idea of invading Venom, it hasn't done anything wrong in our eyes. However, we didn't let Pepper know our feelings, we just joined so we could have the privilege of not being hunted during this conflict. Pepper seemed pretty happy to learn that we were on 'their' side, but he seemed a bit preoccupied with something... Now, Fox, you may speak."

"Well, Wolf, it sounds like we're in the same situation. I don't think Corneria should invade Venom either, but I agreed to General Pepper's offer as well. I did it so he wouldn't get suspicious... and, well, I needed to get my mind off of Krystal."

"Well, well, sounds like you just pulled a Star Wolf over on him. Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you... tricking the General like that..."

"Whatever... so, what are your plans for the Macbeth Conference?"

"Panther, Leon, and I are going to attend, mainly for fun. After that, I don't know what we're going to do or where we're going to go."

"I know this is going to sound stupid... but would you want to join..."

"Whoa! Hold on there Fox, we're still enemies, remember? I wouldn't work with you even if the fate of the Lylat System depended on it!"

"It may actually depend on it... anyway, could you at least agree to be neutral to us?"

"Hmmmm, yeeeaaahhh, I suppose we could do that. We're taking the route along Aquas and Zoness, so, you're going to have to find a different one."

"That's perfect, we're cutting straight across to Sector X..." Fox thought for a moment, "...wait, there is one exception, we are going to fly by Aquas, and see if we can contact Slippy."

"Hmm, OK, but make it snappy, alright. I don't want you, or your team getting in my way. So we better not see each other again until the Macbeth Conference in two days... understand?"

"Yes, Wolf"

"Well, alright then, smell ya later!" Wolf exited the Great Fox and flew off into space.

"Heh, interesting story, Fox..." Lucy rolled her eyes.

Fox sighed.

**-Notes-**

Surprise? Yeah, the story of this chapter being published itself is a "surprising twist". I didn't think I would ever get around to publishing it. But then, byran mccloud posted a review today and it inspired me to look at the story again. It's been so long, reading it again was fun - like reading a whole new story. I hope it still makes sense!

So, what do you think? It's getting complicated isn't it? Don't worry, it gets even more complicated – and there's a lot more story to go, I won't end it too quickly! I have rough drafts up to Chapter 24, and that's about the half-way point (maybe, it depends on what happens after that).

bryan mccloud pointed out to me that only Falco has called Fox "Foxie" in the past... I remember that now, however, I wasn't thinking about it while I was writing this last year – it seemed somewhat natural for Wolf to call Fox "Foxie" kind of as a friendly insult. Kind of like calling an adult a kids' name.

Anyway, the next chapter is kind of boring, but necessary. It picks up again in Chapter 9.

By the way, I noticed that there were some minor grammar and style errors in the earlier chapters. I may go back and fix them eventually, but, for the most part, I don't think they're that bad.

Thanks for reading! Please review! (Because reviews will keep the story going! Without that review today, I probably never would have continued publishing the story! Thanks bryan mccloud!)


	8. Slippy Toad Returns

The team spent the night on the Great Fox at that location in Sector Y. Fox had nightmares – the events of that day brought back bittersweet memories from his past. Fox got up early that morning.

"ROB, set a course to enter orbit of Aquas" Fox said in a half-asleep voice.

"Affirmative, making preparations to warp, approximate departure time, 17 minutes. Approximate arrival time, one hour."

"Thanks, ROB"

"Hey Fox, you're up early this morning!" Peppy said as he walked out of the kitchen area.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep very well..."

"Hmm, let me guess, this has something to do with your father..."

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry Fox, I wish it didn't have to be this way..."

"It's OK, Peppy, you followed orders and did what you had to do, and I appreciate that. I just have a hard time comprehending it all now... and that encounter yesterday, bringing it all up again, just made it worse."

"Well, Fox, maybe today will be different. Hey, want some breakfast?"

"Hm, sure, Peppy, thanks..."

Fox and Peppy ate breakfast together and talked. They talked about James McCloud and the past. Peppy mentioned that he still misses his wife, Vivian, just as Fox misses his father.

"Well, we'll be leaving soon, I'd better wake the others." Fox walked out of the kitchen and woke up Bill and Lucy. They were still very tired.

"Approximate departure, one minute" ROB's voice played over the PA system.

"Well, we better grab a seat for the jump." Fox said. They all sat down, and the Great Fox made the jump to hyperspace.

…

After about 45 minutes, ROB's once again announced:

"We are approaching Aquas, preparing to enter orbit."

"Thanks, ROB. Try contacting Slippy."

"Affirmative." After a few moments, Slippy's voice came over the speaker:

"Hey, Fox, good to talk to you again!"

"Hey, Slippy. Did you hear the news?"

"Yeah, Amanda and I think it's terrible."

"Er, um, who's Amanda?"

"Oh! Fox, I haven't told you have I? Amanda is my fiancée!" Fox was stunned and couldn't speak for a moment. He came back to his senses a few seconds later:

"Fiancée! Slippy! I never would have guessed!"

"Hey, Slippy!" Lucy said.

"Lucy? Is that you? Man, I'm going to have to come up there! Do you mind if I join you, Fox?"

"No, in fact, I was going to ask if you wanted to join us... we're heading to the Macbeth Conference..."

"Ah, I see, Fox. Eh, Fox... would you mind if Amanda came along?"

"Not at all, Slippy, but we have to leave soon, so get up here quickly."

"That's OK! We'll be up in a few minutes!"

"OK, Slippy, we'll see you soon!" Fox closed the communication channel.

After about 20 minutes, Slippy and Amanda landed their ships in the Great Fox. They came up to the main deck.

"It's good to see you again, Slippy!" Fox said.

"It's good to see you guys too!"

"We'll talk about our experiences on the way to Sector X... ROB, set a course for Sector X."

"Affirmative, calculating... Approximate arrival time, six hours."

"OK, thank you, ROB"

The Great Fox, after ROB made the preparations, jumped into hyperspace, they were on their way to Sector X. The team told Slippy about what had happened to them up until this point. Slippy felt the same way about the pending war and he liked Fox's plans.

"The last part we heard of Dash's speech was something about Venom and Sauria being similar or something..."

"Oh really? Well, we have a different broadcasting channel on Aquas, it didn't get cut off so soon... we heard a few more lines: Dash said that Venom and Sauria are connected by a mysterious link between the planets. They share their energy. Venom, however, has been dead for years and has been lying dormant. The last line we heard before General Pepper interrupted the broadcast was that there was a third planet linked by the same energy as Venom and Sauria. It sounded like these three planets form a triangle of energy when they are all 'healthy', but that's when the broadcast was stopped."

"Wow, hmm... maybe that's why Krystal was so anxious to head for Sauria. Perhaps she has some knowledge about this that we don't..."

"Perhaps..."


	9. En Route to Sector X

"Hey, Fox, did you see my new Arwing?" Slippy sounded really excited.

"No, Slippy, I didn't"

"Well, you have to see it then! Come on down to the bay!"

"Alright, Slippy". Fox and Slippy headed down to the hanger bay where they saw Slippy's Arwing. It looked similar to Fox's, except that it was far more streamlined.

"It's version 3.0 of the Arwing, the one you have is 2.0. Your father and Peppy were the only ones that ever flew Arwing 1.0; you flew Arwing 1.5 during the Lylat Wars."

"Ah, I see." Fox acknowledged that Slippy was about to lecture him with tech talk.

"This is what I've been working on while on Aquas; when I have spare time of course."

"So, Slippy, how much better is this 'Version 3.0'?"

"Maneuverability has been increased by some 200%, and the canons are twice as powerful. The deflector shield also has near 100% resistance during a barrel roll. Oh, and the targeting feature can lock on to up to four units at a time."

"Hm... well, Slippy, maybe you won't get enemies on your tail so fast now!"

"Hehe, yeah, maybe. But that's why I'm on Team Star Fox! The Arwing is only as good as the pilot. Heck, if we were rating pilots on the same scale, you would be, like, Pilot 9.5, while the rest of us are Pilot 0.2"

"Unfortunately, we won't have time for you to upgrade our craft, so it looks like I'll still be flying 2.0 for now."

"Well, I build you one as soon as I can! It's the least I can do, Fox!"

"Thanks, Slippy."

Fox and Slippy were heading back up to the bridge, but as they were walking, a deafening crash came almost knocked them off their feet.

"Whoa! What was that?" Slippy exclaimed.

"I'm not sure..."

"ROB, what happened?"

"It appears that our upper-left wing has been hit by a foreign object while in hyperspace. Damage is extensive, most of the upper-left wing is destroyed."

"That's terrible, at least it didn't hit the hull..."

"We're slowing to a stop for a radar scan and re-entry to hyperspace." Peppy announced.

"OK, we're on our way up." Fox and Slippy entered the bridge, the rest of the team was working on the control panel making radar scans and radio hails.

"Peppy, do you know what's going on?"

"It appears we hit a small fighter, it was vaporized from the impact, but so was our wing."

"Are there any more around?"

"We're checking... Bill! What's the status of that scan?"

"Just a few more seconds... got it... it looks..." Bill paused, "It looks like there is an entire fleet of these ships!"

"Friendly?"

"I don't think so..." Bill stated.

"OK, here we go again... Team! Prepare for launch!" Peppy, Lucy, and Amanda stayed behind at the controls of the Great Fox, while Slippy, Bill, and Fox entered their fighters. They launched.

"ROB, broadcast the following transmission on all open frequencies..." Fox said over the Arwing's radio link.

"Affirmative, echoing on all known open frequencies..."

"Squadron, identify yourselves!" Fox called over the radio.

"This sector belongs to us, you are invading our territory! Leave!"

"We were passing through an open hyperspace route, one of your ships nearly killed us."

"You are the first traveler we've seen on this route for years."

"Who are you?"

"Who are YOU?"

"We are Star Fox"

"Ah, the great Star Fox, we have heard of you!"

"We are on a high-priority mission to Macbeth."

"Then why are you traveling on an old route?"

"Um... classified."

"Well, we still can't let you through, you will have to go around the star."

"But, that could take days!"

"There is nothing we can do about it."

"Is there any way we can gain clearance through this sector?"

"No."

"I'm afraid we're going to have to force our way through then."

"We WILL stop you..."

"We'll see about that... team, proceed to all-range-mode!", "Engage!" Fox called out.

"Wait!" The commander called. "Um... perhaps we can negotiate?"

"Ah, that sounds better! We'll offer you 1000 credits for your trouble."

"Hmm... that should be sufficient... All we ask, is that you adjust your coordinates up 12 degrees."

"Agreed, what is your account number?"

"14662"

"OK, we will make the transfer as soon as we reach Sector X"

"...OK" the commander replied.

The team adjusted their position as requested. The team entered hyperspace again, but this time, Fox and Slippy remained in their Arwings. Bill's fighter did not have hyperspace capabilities so he returned to the Great Fox.

"Peppy, do you think that was the same kind of fleet we encountered in Sector Y?"

"I doubt it, Fox. While you were negotiating, we captured a technical readout of their ships. They appear to be bioweapons, composed mostly of machines, but with partial organic matter."

"Do they have cloaking abilities?"

"Not any familiar to us"

"Do they have any relation to the Aparoids?"

"They appear to have mechanical readouts similar to Aparoids, however, as we learned before, Aparoids have unique thought patterns, which we are unable to analyze with our current technology. So, we are unable to verify if they are of Aparoid origin."

"They shouldn't be Aparoids, right? We DID destroy all the Aparoids when we disabled the queen, right?"

"Creatures like Aparoids have been known to have small subcolonies, but they are usually so insignificant that they pose no threat."

"Fox, if Krystal were here, she could analyze their thought patterns and tell us for sure!" Slippy quickly stated, but then felt a sense of regret.

"Yeah, Slippy"

"I'm sorry, Fox"

"It's OK, Slippy."

"Well, let's hope they're just remnants, they sounded like they were hiding something though."

"Whatever they are, they seem to be staying out of the way of normal space travel, so maybe they're just conducting private operations in abandoned sectors."

"That seems to be the most logical, as long as they don't interfere in normal space affairs, we can ignore them. When we get a chance, see if there is any networked information about them." Fox said.

"Alright, Fox, we'll do that."

"Thank you, Peppy. It just seems so strange that so many weird events have taken place in the time of a couple days."

"Yes, it does, Fox"

_Krystal, I wish you were here._ - Fox thought to himself.


	10. Nightmare of the Past

"_Thank you for taking me out to dinner tonight, Fox... we're so lucky, look at this beautiful overview of the city!"_

"_Yes, Krystal, it's very nice..."_

"_Fox, you've been a bit quiet all night... is there something wrong?"_

"_Well, yes there is Krystal... have you ever been in a situation where you have something important you need to say, but don't know how to bring it up, or how to go about saying it?"_

"_Oh, you mean like those moments before... oh... I don't know... a proposal?"_

"_Yeah, kind of like that..."_

"_Are you trying to tell me something, Fox?" _Krystal's eyes lit up as she stared into the eyes of her friend.

"_Krystal, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for some time now, it's been on my mind for months, but I haven't had the guts to say it..."_

"_Yes Fox?"_

"_I couldn't find the right time and place. The truth is, Krystal, I love you dearly..."_

"_I love you too, Fox..."_

"_But I fear it has brought me to a point I hoped I'd never reach..."_

The expression on Krystal's face changed, _"What are you trying to say, Fox?"_

"_Krystal, I've cherished every moment I've been with you, and I don't know what I'd do if this time was cut short by... a tragedy... you are aware just as much as I am of the dangers the Star Fox squadron faces..."_

"_Tragedy? Fox, I don't understand..."_

"_Oh, what am I doing! Krystal, I need you to leave the team; I can't bear the thought of losing you!"_

"_But... Fox... Why?"_

"_Krystal, after that encounter near Area 6 four months and twenty-six days ago, I've been haunted by the thought of it happening again..."_

"_But we made it out of there unharmed! I was fine!"_ Krystal began to feel somewhat angry.

"_But, if Falco hadn't been there, they would have shot you down!"_

"_Are you saying I can't take care of myself? Fox!" _The realty of the situation had begun to sink into Krystal's mind as her eyes began to shimmer with sadness.

"_No, Krystal, you're a very capable pilot."_

"_Then why are you asking me to leave!"_ Krystal was nearly shouting by this point. Tears ran down her face.

"_Because... because the thought of losing you has begun to affect my performance, I've let my guard down far too many times, I think it would be best for the team if..."_

"_If what? I quit?"_

Fox stood silently... he realized what he just said and couldn't think of what to say next. Krystal, now shedding many tears, stood up and pointed at Fox.

"_Fox, what did I do wrong?"_

"_Nothing Krystal, you never did anything wrong."_

Krystal stared at Fox for a moment, still crying. _"A celot oei je misx... A kxeiwxk oei celot mo kee... A'm doloh weadw ke cok kxaj xuffod uwuad! Av no mook uwuad, oei'cc howhok ak."_, she turned and ran out of the restaurant with tears running down her face. Fox was left, alone.

"_What have I done? Krystal... I'm so sorry." _Fox said quietly as he shed a tear of his own.


	11. Sector X

"_...approaching Sector X... Fox, wake up!"_

"Wha, huh?"

"Fox, what are you doing? You need to exit hyperspace in a few seconds or you will crash!" Peppy announced angrily.

"Ahhh, um, yes, uh, OK, done!" Fox was panicking, he had been sleeping.

"Don't scare us like that, Fox!" Lucy said.

"Phew, it was just a dream!"

"Well, don't let it happen again! We can't let you take those kinds of risks! That's why you don't fly a small craft like an Arwing through hyperspace for that amount of time!" Peppy recited.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Slippy, are you OK?"

"Yeah, my new Arwing has a feature that let's me program when to exit hyperspace, so I don't need to manually exit like your Arwing."

"Eh, OK, Slippy. ROB, we are going to scope out the area. Peppy, would you like to come along?"

"Of course I would, Fox!" Peppy walked down the the flight deck, quickly started an Arwing, and met Fox and Slippy outside.

"Man, this place gives me the creeps. It used to be a base, but it was wiped out years before the Lylat Wars." Peppy stated.

"Well, at least we won't see anyone from Corneria here; it's been marked as abandoned; and all the major warps, gates, and hyperspace paths cross closer to Solar, so Sector X has been nearly taken off the map." Fox mentioned.

"So, what are we looking for?" Slippy asked.

"A good place to hide, just for the night. We've got about 30 hours left before the conference, so, in the morning, we'll drop off Peppy at Titania. That could take a few hours because we need to do it without being detected."

"Hey, Slippy, remember when you got your Arwing tossed towards Titania from here?"

"Did you have to bring THAT up?"

"It's OK, Slippy, it worked out fine in the end."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Hey! Look at that!"

"Hey, Peppy, looks like you found us a good place to rest!" Peppy had pointed out a mostly enclosed area of the destroyed base. It had walls on all sides, and an opening just large enough for the Great Fox.

"The radiation in this sector should prevent radio detection of us – let's get back to the Great Fox and get some sleep!"

"That sounds like a good idea, Peppy!" The team traveled back to the Great Fox. Afterwards, ROB piloted the ship to the area Peppy had determined. They shut down the Great Fox's main engines and went to bed.

The next morning, the team had breakfast, and they proceeded to drop Peppy off on Titania. They helped him find an abandoned underground shelter. They set up a long range radio tower above so that he could listen and talk to the team until they returned for him. They also left another radio so that Peppy could connect to Macbeth's broadcasting network and listen to the media's coverage of the conference.

"Well, Peppy, we'll see you again in a week or so."

"Alright, take care, I'll stay in contact."

"OK, Peppy, thanks." The remaining team returned to the Great Fox.

"ROB, prepare to enter hyperspace, set course for the gate."

"Affirmative, approximate arrival time, 45 minutes."

"Thanks ROB... Team, that will give us a chance to use a public warp gate – we're doing this for the media, it will look like we took a normal route to Macbeth. Hopefully, nobody will be suspicious that we're arriving at a public gate coming from a remote planet like Titania."

"Sounds like a good plan, Fox." Bill said.

"I don't want anyone to know where we've been – I want our entrance to be as normal as possible."


	12. Arriving at Macbeth

The team arrived at the gate. The traffic was dense. Fox radioed in to the spaceport.

"Star Fox team, requesting gate clearance to Macbeth."

"Star Fox? Really? _Hey, everyone, Star Fox is here!_" The operator said.

"Yes, it's us. Who is this?"

"Fox, don't you know? It's Fay!"

"Oh! Hi Fay, it's been awhile!"

"We've been expecting you! _All traffic, please halt while team Star Fox passes!_", "We've cleared the gate, you can proceed when you're ready. Just one question, though, where have you been? We haven't seen you on any common space route!"

"Oh, I had to make a few stops by some remote planets to see if I could find any of my former team members."

"Ah, it all makes sense now! Well, I'm sure everyone at Macbeth is anxious to see you, they've been calling asking if you've arrived at the gate all day long."

"Hmm, well, then we'll proceed through the gate then."

"Alright, whenever you're ready, Star Fox!" Fox and the team headed down to the flight deck of the Great Fox, they intended to enter the warp in their fighters. Macbeth was excepting them, and Fox intended to give them a decent entrance.

"Fox, we'll have to catch up sometime." Fay said.

"Yes, we should."

Fox entered the gate first, followed closely by Bill, then Slippy, then Lucy, and finally, ROB in the Great Fox. They warped, and, in a few moments, they were within view of Macbeth.

"Alright, team, let's go!" The team flew closer to Macbeth and began to enter the atmosphere. As they came closer to the surface, they were startled by what they saw.

"Fox, look at that!" Bill exclaimed.

"Yeah, I see, it looks like they're raising hundreds of missile towers!"

"If this goes on, they won't only defeat Venom, they'll level the planet." Lucy said.

"According to Pepper's information, we're supposed to land over there." The team flew over thousands of parked fighters. Team Star Fox's landing pad, however, had been reserved and there was plenty of room. The team landed, they were greeted by General Pepper along with several of Cornerian officials and guards.

"Star Fox! It's good to see you here. We tried to track your route so that we could give you an escort, but you didn't appear on any well known route."

"Well, sir, I had to take some out-of-the-way paths and see if I could find any of my former team members."

"Ah, very well, Fox. Come, we're preparing for the conference to start in a few hours. We've reserved some of the finest hotels." The team started walking, the Cornerian officials and guards created an escort circle around them.

"Isn't Macbeth an industrial planet?"

"Yes, but they built several high-class hotels in some of the less industrial areas. They've been trying to boost their tourist industry."

"Ah, I guess I never really studied Macbeth very closely, I've only seen the railroad side, and that was when I was here during the Lylat Wars."

"Yes, the planet is very different in some areas, especially on this side. They've even created some resorts here in the commercial zone... Ah, here we are, the main conference room. Your table is over there. And here are your reservations and some maps; you're in the hotel down the road."

"Thank you, sir... Hey! It looks like you've reserved enough rooms for my team too!"

"Well, I wanted to make sure there would be enough space if you happened to bring them."

"Ah, well, thank you, sir!"

"Alright, Fox, I have to go make some more preparations. Do you have a speech to give during the opening?"

"Nah, I didn't have time to write one."

"That's alright then, I'll just do an introduction. I'll see you again soon!"

"OK, thank you, sir." Fox and the team sat down at their table. They were in a very large room; there were several hundred tables around them. The room had a dark red carpet, and there were chandeliers hanging from the incredibly high ceiling. It looked like the others in the room were representatives of various cities as well as commanding officers – they were all dressed in fancy clothing. The hotel employees were serving food; all the tables had ice water and appetizers, it was exquisite.

"Well, since the conference doesn't start for a couple hours, I'm going to take a look around; will you all be OK here on your own?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, we'll be OK... hehe, but it looks like you'll be signing some autographs!" Slippy replied. Some of the members of the groups from other tables had approached Fox.

"Mr. McCloud, sir, could we have your autograph?"

"Erm, uh, OK..." Fox signed their notepads.

"Thank you so much, Fox, we're really looking forward to hearing you speak later!"

"Uh, well, thanks, but I won't be giving a speech..."

"Alright, Mr. McCloud, we'll leave now." The fans left, Fox proceeded to walk around the conference room.

_Now, let's see who else is here -_ Fox said to himself.


	13. Old Friends

Fox continued walking through the conference room. He noticed the positive spirit of most of the attendees. Occasionally, one of the members at a table would say "Hey, Star Fox, it's good to see you here!" or "Look, everyone, it's Fox McCloud!". The room was densely packed, and it could take one several minutes to reach one side of the room from the other. As Fox neared an area underneath a balcony, he was greeted by an old friend:

"Yo, Fox! What's up?"

"Falco? I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Well, Fox, I didn't expect to _be_ here either."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Come, I'll tell you the story!"

"Alright". Fox and Falco walked over to a table. Katt was there as well.

"Hey, how've you been, little man!" Katt said as she stood up.

"Hello, Katt"

"Fox, no sense standing, come on, sit down!" Falco said. The three of them sat down.

"So it looks like you've been suckered into this whole scheme too..."

"Yeah, I joined to keep suspicion down..."

"Hmm, interesting, Fox. Well, here's my story, after I left the team, I wandered the galaxy looking for Katt."

"I was the one who found him!" Katt replied.

"Yeah, OK... anyway, after we met again, we decided to form our own team to see if we could find any action. And so, Star Falco was born."

"Star Falco?"

"Yep, I modified my old Arwing to give it a look that fit the new team. Katt also built a new ship to replace her old crippled fighter."

"We had some pretty cool adventures. We even traveled to some other systems. And it just happened that we were passing through the Lylat System when we heard Dash's speech." Katt continued.

"So, we were about to leave the Lylat System, when we were contacted by General Pepper, asking if we could join the cause. Katt and I were against invading Venom, but we figured that the job payed well, and we might find some action in it too."

"Hey, so he contacted you too? I don't see how he contacted so many people at once... but anyway, it looks like you're here on almost the same reasons as my team!" Fox responded.

"Your team? So you found some of them?"

"Well, I found Peppy and Slippy. Peppy is no longer general, though, he had to resign – it's a long story. Bill left Katina with me when we learned about the invasion, and Lucy decided to join us on the way back to Corneria. Peppy is not here, though; he is hiding from Cornerian officials on Titania."

As they were talking, a soldier walked up to the microphone at the front of the room.

"Is the conference starting already?" Fox asked.

"I don't know, I didn't think it was supposed to start for at least another hour..."

The soldier began to speak:

"Good evening everyone! We have checked you all in, and, since it appears that everyone is present, we will be starting a few minutes early. General Pepper will speak three minutes from now."

"Well, it looks like I won't have time to get back to my table, do you mind if I stay here with you two?"

"Not at all, Fox" Katt replied. "So, Fox, how's Krystal?"

"Er, um, she left, I made a terrible mistake of asking her leave..."

"Why would you do that Fox! That's incredibly rude, you two were perfect together, what happened?"

"Well, I couldn't stand the thought of her being shot down in combat, we had some pretty close encounters; I don't know what I would have done if something had happened..."

"Don't you think she felt the same way about you, Fox? You both shared that risk! To make her leave after everything you two had been through... she must have been heartbroken!"

"...yeah... she was... she joined Star Wolf, but she left after the announcement of the invasion. I want to apologize, but I haven't seen her since we broke up."

"Fox, an apology ain't gonna cut it..." Falco stated.

"Yeah, yeah, I know... but I learned something near Sector Y on the way here, I understand now how I was wrong."

"Fox, it's going to take a lot more than an apology and a story to gain her trust – that is, if she will even talk to you again!" Katt replied.

General Pepper walked up to the microphone, everyone in the room stood up to clap. Pepper moved his hands signaling for everyone to sit down.

_My friends, we are about to embark on one of the finest battles in the history of the Lylat System! I have called this conference to provide an assembly point for our forces, as well as to plan our strategy for the invasion. I know this is not normal, but we plan for elimination of Venom once and for all, not simply another containment operation. We will wipe out this despicable planet forever!_

Almost everyone in the room stood up to cheer again; Falco, Katt, and Fox remained seated, some of the folks around them gave a questionable stare, but continued clapping.


	14. Fox in the Spotlight

"Corneria, and all other planets and cities present here tonight, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Fox McCloud of team Star Fox! Fox, please come up to the stage!" Everyone in the room cheered for Fox as he stood up and walked up to the stage.

"Fox, we would like it if you said a few words to start off the conference, you don't have to give a speech..."

"Erm, well, OK... first, I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I didn't expect to be seen as such a hero. As for something to open the conference, I'd like to share with you, a bit of advice a friend of mine once told me: 'whatever the situation, trust your instincts, know your enemy and do what you believe is right'... thank you..." Once again, everyone in the room cheered for Fox. Fox waived and returned to his original table where his team welcomed him.

_Thank you, Fox! I'm sure you're all wondering what we've planned for team Star Fox... they will be performing a reconnaissance mission to Venom. He will be collecting data about the new terrain as well as intelligence regarding Dash's military forces. Fox will be launching before the end of the conference. His mission will last exactly three days, in that time, we will further assemble our forces while our command teams create strategies using the data Fox collects._

_I have also hired two other mercenary units: first, Star Falco, please stand up,_

Falco and Katt stood up at their table and waved. There were fewer cheers than for Fox, but most members in the audience were happy to know that Falco, a former member of Star Fox, would be a key component in this operation.

_Star Falco is a newly forged team consisting of Falco Lombardi and Katt Monroe; their mission is to intercept communications within Dash's military. As spies, they will provide useful information in knowing Dash's military strategies. They will launch a day after Star Fox. _

_And, now, the final unit I've hired... though they've caused us problems in the past, they are now ready to help. This team is none other than Star Wolf, please stand!_

Wolf, Leon, and Panther stood up from their table in the far corner of the room. There were gasps all over the room, and side conversations broke out. One could tell that many were questioning the acceptance of Star Wolf.

_I know that Star Wolf has caused trouble for Star Fox in the past, but this time, they have joined together in the fight against a common enemy. In return for their service, their bounties will be lifted. Star Wolf's mission is to investigate Andross' former bases and outposts in order to determine whether or not we will be fighting Andross' former units as well as Dash's newer forces. Star Wolf will launch shortly after Star Fox._

_That is all for today. Be sure to wave off our heroes at their scheduled launches. Please see the printed schedules in the lobby for the exact times._

_Good night, and good luck!_

Everyone, except the three mercenary units, stood up to cheer as General Pepper exited the stage. Shortly after General Pepper left, members began to file out of the room and returned to their hotel rooms. It was getting dark outside. The mercenary units decided to remain at their tables. After all the traffic had cleared out and the room was mostly quiet and empty, Wolf approached Fox.

"Fox, come over to our table in the corner, we need to talk."

"OK, Wolf, but shouldn't we meet somewhere where nobody will be listening?"

"Eh, everybody hates Star Wolf, I don't think anyone will be listening."

The two walked over to Star Wolf's table. Panther grabbed a chair for Fox. The four sat down and began to talk in a very hushed tone:

"Alright pup, here's the deal, we've been talking, and we've decided, that we're not going to let this invasion go the way Pepper wants it to. I know it's not like us to judge according to morals, but we think this is just plain wrong to attack Dash. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I think we're going to have to work together here."

"Well, Wolf, I was planning to fly to the far side of Venom to avoid having to send continuous updates to Macbeth. If I'm out of range of radio, I have an excuse for not updating all the time. I think I'm going to investigate the jungles on the far side."

"Ah, looks like you have some wolf blood in you after all. We're going to actually investigate Andross' former underground base and see if we find anything down there, Pepper doesn't trust us as much, so we're going to have to stick to our assignment."

"OK, Wolf, I'll stay out of your way. I was just thinking, I might have Slippy write a decoy program to send bogus information to Macbeth; I need to make a trip to Sauria."

"Why? So you can see your x-girlfriend?"

"Er, um, yeah I guess..."

Panther grinned, "X?"

"Yeah, um, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, that's cool Fox, you hanging around Venom is not going to do us much good. We'll handle Pepper, you do what you need to do."

"OK, thanks for the cooperation, Wolf. I'm going to have Falco try and find Dash and see if we can figure out what's going on and how we're going to stop this invasion. If he can find him, we'll make a conference call and discuss what's going on. I have a spare long-range transmitter back on the Great Fox, I'll set it up near Sauria so I'll be in contact with Falco on Venom."

"Um, what happened to the old rabbit, Peppy?"

"Oh, Peppy? He's on Titania, here's his radio number and key." Fox handed Wolf Peppy's transmission code and public key for their radio.

"He is hiding there to avoid attention from Cornerian officials. While he's there, he's looking up information about some of the units we encountered in Sector Y and on the way to Sector X."

"Oh, OK. We'll talk again tomorrow before the launch."

"OK, goodnight Wolf". Fox walked over to Falco's table to discuss their plans. Afterwards, Fox and his team walked to their hotel for the night.


End file.
